In The Mood For Chocolate?
by Hikari AkA machi NO tenshi
Summary: Hello Minna! This is the awaited sequel to my other short story "A Trip at the Zoo." I hope you all enjoy this one as much as you did the first. ^-^ Please RxR


In The Mood For Chocolate?  
Author: Hikari  
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com  
Rated: G  
  
  
  
HIKARI'S NOTES FOR (06/05/01)-  
It feels like almost a year since I wrote "A Trip at the   
Zoo" and now, I have finally deigned myself to write the  
sequel so many of you asked for a long time ago. (This   
one's for you Minna!) Also, many thanks to those of you who   
have emailed me about my trip this summer. I'll probably  
come back with lots of story ideas ^-^  
Special hello to Hitomi de Fanel *takes out whip and   
smiles evily* You know you're still not off the hook!  
  
And now... are all of you "In The Mood For Chocolate?"  
  
  
  
  
Serena mindlessly chewed on the top of her pencil.   
The cool breeze coming from the window adjacent to her,   
removing her thought from class was causing her to relax   
and daydream of the things that were to come. She sighed   
in happiness as she remembered her well laid-out plan.  
  
Today, Valentine's Day, she would finally tell her   
crush that she liked him by handing him her homemade   
chocolate. She blushed as she thought of all the possible   
ways he would react. He could throw his hands around her   
waist and bring her body closer to his so that he may kiss   
her thanks. Or maybe, he wouldn't even wait for her to   
hand him the chocolate. Maybe he would decide that today,   
it would be *he* who confessed his love first!  
  
Oh, but she couldn't help this feeling of absolute   
happiness as it quickly pulsed through her veins. The   
anticipation was killing her with joy! To think that her,   
a thirteen year-old girl, was about to receive her first   
kiss on Valentine's Day. And by the captain of the basket-  
ball team, no less!  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Pressing her books to her chest, Serena walked down   
the hall to her locker. Reaching it, she fiddled with the   
combination as a warm hand landed on her waist and brought   
her in for a hug. 'Darien,' she thought happily as she   
whirled around to meet his shimmering blue eyes.  
  
"Hey Serena," he said giving her a great big smile.  
  
"Hey Darien." She turned, then, to begin to but her  
books away. "What's up?"  
  
Leaning against the lockers, he tilted his head back  
in thought. "Well, I aced that math test Mr. Thomas sprung   
up on us last time. And, what else... oh yeah! Kevin is   
throwing a party this Friday. He told me to tell you you're  
invited."  
  
"That's sweet of him," Serena said as she smiled.   
She just couldn't help but feel jovial today. 'Oh!' a   
thought came to mind. Turning around sharply, she looked   
into Darien's eyes with excitement. "Do you think Kevin   
would mind if I brought a date with me to the party?"  
  
"A date?" Darien repeated numbly. "I don't think   
so. Why?" His face turned serious. "Who are you planning   
on inviting?"  
  
A deep crimson blush flared on her cheeks in   
embarrassment. Was she jumping to conclusions thinking   
that her crush would accept her, her chocolate, and the   
invitation to the party? 'No,' she shook her head. 'Today   
would turn out fine.'  
  
She cleared her throat and tried to look at Darien   
without blushing. "Actually, I was planning on inviting   
Andrew as my date."  
  
"Andrew?"  
  
She nodded her head happily, oblivious to the hurt   
tone in which Darien said the name. "You see, today- "   
Serena began as she fumbled inside her locker searching   
for something. "I'm planning on telling him how I really   
feel by handing him this."  
  
Darien stared at the square box. It was neatly   
wrapped in a pink gift paper with little bunnies floating   
around. "What is it?" he asked as he looked at it with   
jealousy.  
  
She hugged it. "It's a chocolate heart I made for   
him." Giggling, she went on, "I hope he likes it. I may   
be good at cooking but making chocolate hearts without   
molds isn't easy." Putting it back in her locker she   
grabbed the books for her next class and closed the door.   
"I placed a note in his locker to meet me at the baseball   
court after school." A moment of uncertainty quivered   
through her. "Darien," she asked softly. "Do you think   
he likes me?"  
  
Darien looked at her for a long moment. Smiling to   
himself, he patted her head soothingly. "How could he not?"  
  
With her eyes aglow, she threw her hands around him   
and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you Darien! You're   
such a good friend."  
  
...And those words killed him.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien tried hard to concentrate in class, but   
found it nearly impossible as his mind kept replaying his   
conversation with Serena. She would meet another guy. She   
would hand him chocolate she had *made*. And, she would   
tell him that she liked him. He ground his teeth together.   
'It just wasn't fair.'  
  
3 years ago, when they were still in elementary   
school, Serena had been in love with him. Unfortunately,   
back then Darien didn't like her that way. He merely   
thought of her as his friend. Now, as fate would have it,   
it was *he* who liked her- and she who liked someone else.   
'Would it always be this way?'  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Darien grabbed his backpack and swung it over his   
shoulder. Heading over to his locker, he opened the door   
and threw his books in. The gust of wind that burst through  
the metal hole with the action caused a small piece of blue   
paper to flutter out.  
  
Darien picked it up curiously and opened it. It   
was in Serena's writing. She was asking him to wish her   
luck today and to expect a call from her after school were   
she'd tell him all about how it went.  
  
'How generous of her,' he thought in sarcasm. But   
he knew he shouldn't have said that. She had told him   
herself that he was her best friend. She permitted him   
to get closer to her than she allowed most people. 'It   
certainly wasn't *her* fault that she had misunderstood   
his intentions,' his brain accused. 'You should have been   
more direct.'  
  
Shaking his head in frustration, he slammed the   
locker shut and placed his hands inside his pockets. It   
didn't matter. It wasn't like Serena was about to marry   
Andrew, right? Besides, there was no guarantee that Andrew   
liked her.  
  
'Oh, whom are you kidding?!' his thoughts bit back.   
'You said so yourself: How could he not?'  
  
Darien grumbled to himself as he left the building.   
Maybe just a little peek wouldn't hurt. 'And if it did,'   
he said to himself. 'Maybe it will help prepare me for her   
call later tonight.'   
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
Sneaking in the bushes behind the batter's bench,   
Darien listened closely to the conversation, which had   
already started.  
  
"But why?" he heard Serena ask in a broken voice.  
  
"Because I don't like you that way." Andrew   
answered coolly.  
  
"Oh." She whispered.  
  
"Listen, I'm really sorry but I just don't feel   
that way. Besides," he went on. "I thought you and Darien   
were going out?"  
  
"Me and Darien?"  
  
Darien winced at the tone in which she answered.   
As if anything couldn't be further away from reality.  
  
"Yeah, you two are always hanging around each other.  
Everyone thinks you're a couple."  
  
"A couple of what?" she mumbled to herself. "We're   
just friends. I don't like him like that!"  
  
"Well, it really doesn't make a difference to me   
who you do, or don't like."  
  
Darien heard Andrew's footsteps retreat as he left   
Serena on the baseball field, broken hearted. Anger coursed  
through him as he battled with the urge to run to him and   
punish him for hurting his Serena so. But no, he shouldn't   
feel anger. It was thanks to Andrew's blunt refusal that   
he now had the chance to court her.  
  
Grabbing his bookbag and sneaking out of the bushes   
so that she couldn't see him, he turned to leave until a   
heart-wrenching sob made him stop. Making his way towards   
her, looking completely ignorant of the situation, he said   
cheerily, "Hey Serena."  
  
She looked up at him, her eyes puffy and red. "Oh   
Darien," she said miserably. "Don't look at me right now.   
I just-" she sniffed. "I just want to be alone."  
  
"What happened?" he asked as he sat next to her.   
"He doesn't like chocolate?"  
  
She gave a little huff of bitter laughter. "No, it   
wasn't the chocolate he didn't like. It was me!" She   
threw a punch at Darien's chest. "He doesn't like me!"  
  
Bringing her into his embrace he cradled her, trying  
to sooth her pain. "It's alright. You shouldn't cry for a   
jerk like him."  
  
Serena disentangled herself from his arms as she   
looked at him with antagonism. "I am *not* crying for him!   
I'm angry with myself for being so stupid as to have made   
chocolate for him. Look," she said as she handed him the   
gift-wrapped box. "He never even deigned a glance inside!"  
  
Darien looked at the box carefully, then, tore the   
paper away.  
  
"What are you doing?" she screamed as she made a   
move to grab the box away.  
  
He evaded her hands and opened the box, taking out   
the chocolate heart. "Well, Andrew's not gonna eat it."   
He looked at her with his bright eyes and winked one in her   
direction. "I don't see why he'd object to us putting it   
to good use. Feeling in the mood for chocolate?"  
  
Serena laughed as she saw him look at the heart.   
"Not one of your best works, right?" he asked. She shook   
her head. 'He was right,' she thought. 'It had come out   
terrible!' As if in premonition of the horrible day today   
would be. "Here," she heard him say as he handed it back   
to her intact. "You get the honor of breaking it."  
  
She took the heart in her hands. 'Yes, the best   
medicine.' And with that thought, she grabbed both of the   
ends of the chocolate and broke it in half, little bits   
shattering and falling to her lap. "Here." She handed one   
end back to him. "Let's get rid of it together."  
  
'Yes,' answered Darien's thoughts. 'Together.'  
  
...And they both shared and savored the bittersweet   
taste of unrequited love.  
  
  
The End? 


End file.
